Back then, the common form of transit was horse and buggy. You were lucky to make 20 miles per hour at best. As for railroads, locomotives in the 1890s could approach 80 mph.

By 1890, the "Golden Age of Steam" was well underway, and express trains were achieving speeds that would still be considered respectable for local rail today. While the average intercity speed was typically between 30 and 45 mph due to frequent stops and track limitations, elite "crack express" trains were capable of sustained speeds of 60 to 70 mph. On high-quality "first-class" railways in the UK and US, "mile-a-minute" (60 mph) travel was a point of pride for operators. In short bursts, some locomotives could even reach 80 or 90 mph during speed trials. In 1890, the record for a steam locomotive was arguably held by the 999 or similar high-driver engines that were pushing toward the 100 mph barrier (which was officially broken in 1893). This era also saw early electric rail experiments, like those of Weems in 1889, which achieved speeds over 120 mph in a model format, hinting at the high-speed rail future that was to come.